You are here

Research & Policy

Pages

The Digital Well-Being of Canadian Families

Date:

19 Oct 2018

In this study, MediaSmarts conducted a survey of 825 parents of children from birth to 15 years old to learn more about their digital family life; specifically, the digital technology uses and activities of their children, their parenting style, and the opportunities and challenges that digital technology brings to parenting and family life in Canada. The results of this study emphasize that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for digital well-being in families. However, one consistent pattern is the importance of digital literacy in tipping the scales in favour of the positive effects of digital technology use in Canadian families.

Non-Consensual Sharing of Sexts: Behaviours and Attitudes of Canadian Youth

Date:

06 Feb 2018

MediaSmarts and researchers at University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work conducted this study to examine how attitudes, experiences, knowledge and moral beliefs of young people impact their decisions to share or not share sexts they have received. The findings are significant not only in helping us to understand the motivating factors behind teens’ decisions either to share or not share sexts without the original sender’s consent, but also to inform development of more effective interventions to discourage young people from sharing sexts non-consensually.

To Share or Not to Share

Date:

13 Apr 2017

How Teens Make Privacy Decisions about Photos on Social Media

Building on the privacy findings from our Young Canadians in a Wired World research, this qualitative study of youth ages 13 to 16 examines the reasoning that teens apply when deciding to share photos of themselves or other people electronically. These interviews explore the ways that reputational privacy and social norms impacts teens’ decisions to post photos and investigate whether or not they actively consent to the collection and use of their personal information by the platforms they use for sharing photos.

Digital Youth Summit 2015

Date:

30 May 2016

To better understand the skills young Canadians need as citizens and future workers in the digital age, MediaSmarts and the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) hosted a national Digital Youth Summit in Ottawa (October 22-23, 2015) to hear directly from secondary students on this topic. This report provides an overview of the important themes raised and discussed by the students during panel discussions, brainstorming sessions, Speakers’ Corner, and through evaluation forms.

Connected to Learn: Teachers’ Experiences with Networked Technologies in the Classroom

Date:

05 Apr 2016

To help understand how networked technologies are impacting teachers and their teaching practices, in 2015 MediaSmarts partnered with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation to survey 4,043 K-12 teachers and school administrators who were teaching in classroom settings across the country. The survey explored the extent to which networked technologies are available in the classroom, the ways teachers are using networked technologies to support learning, the knowledge and skills teachers have developed to make the most of networked technologies as learning tools and creative uses of networked technologies for learning activities.

Young Canadians’ Experiences with Electronic Bullying

Date:

16 Nov 2015

Although there has been research on offline bullying and the role of peers, there is limited research on peer intervention for online bullying. Researchers have expressed concerns that cyberbullying and online harassment might increase negative bystander behaviours because of the physical distance and the perceived anonymity of online communication. To better understand the relationship between peer intervention and electronic bullying amongst Canadian youth, MediaSmarts partnered with PREVNet and TELUS to examine the factors that influence the likelihood of young people intervening in online bullying scenarios; the helpfulness of different ways of intervening, and the motivation and barriers to intervening.

Mapping Digital Literacy Policy and Practice in the Canadian Education Landscape

Date:

30 Mar 2015

To develop the Use, Understand & Create framework, we needed to first explore the digital literacy skills Canadian youth were already learning in different provinces and territories.

Our discussion paper Mapping Digital Literacy Policy and Practice in the Canadian Landscape draws on policy and curriculum documents from across the country to synthesize key concepts and best practices in current digital literacy education.

The discussion paper was made possible by financial contributions from Google Canada.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Trends and Recommendations

Date:

21 Jan 2015

This is the final report in a series of nine from the Young Canadian in a Wired World: Phase III study. The Trends and Recommendations report brings together the findings from interviews with children, teens, parents and teachers and a national survey of students in grades 4 to 11, which took place between 2012 and 2013. It offers recommendations for parents, teachers and policy makers to support young people in meeting the challenges of growing up in the digital age. It also includes an analysis of students’ top 50 favourite websites and profiles of students’ online activities organized by grade.

Date:

19 Jun 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Encountering Racist and Sexist Content Online (the sixth in a series of reports from the survey) looks at how often Canadian youth are exposed to prejudice online, how it makes them feel and how they respond to it.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Sexuality and Romantic Relationships in the Digital Age

Date:

29 May 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Sexuality and Romantic Relationships in the Digital Age (the fifth in a series of reports from the survey) examines issues such as sexting, romantic interactions online, and accessing pornography and information about sexuality.

Pages

Pages

Connected to Learn: Teachers’ Experiences with Networked Technologies in the Classroom

Date:

05 Apr 2016

To help understand how networked technologies are impacting teachers and their teaching practices, in 2015 MediaSmarts partnered with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation to survey 4,043 K-12 teachers and school administrators who were teaching in classroom settings across the country. The survey explored the extent to which networked technologies are available in the classroom, the ways teachers are using networked technologies to support learning, the knowledge and skills teachers have developed to make the most of networked technologies as learning tools and creative uses of networked technologies for learning activities.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Trends and Recommendations

Date:

21 Jan 2015

This is the final report in a series of nine from the Young Canadian in a Wired World: Phase III study. The Trends and Recommendations report brings together the findings from interviews with children, teens, parents and teachers and a national survey of students in grades 4 to 11, which took place between 2012 and 2013. It offers recommendations for parents, teachers and policy makers to support young people in meeting the challenges of growing up in the digital age. It also includes an analysis of students’ top 50 favourite websites and profiles of students’ online activities organized by grade.

Date:

19 Jun 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Encountering Racist and Sexist Content Online (the sixth in a series of reports from the survey) looks at how often Canadian youth are exposed to prejudice online, how it makes them feel and how they respond to it.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Sexuality and Romantic Relationships in the Digital Age

Date:

29 May 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Sexuality and Romantic Relationships in the Digital Age (the fifth in a series of reports from the survey) examines issues such as sexting, romantic interactions online, and accessing pornography and information about sexuality.

Date:

31 Mar 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Experts or Amateurs? Gauging Young Canadians’ Digital Literacy Skills (the fourth in a series of reports from the survey) explores the level of young people’s digital literacy skills, how they are learning these skills and how well digital technologies are being used in classrooms to support these skills.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Meanness, Cruelty and Threats

Date:

18 Mar 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Meanness, Cruelty and Threats (the third in a series of reports from the survey) looks at youths’ experiences with online conflict, the strategies they use to deal with this and who they turn to for support.

Date:

19 Feb 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Online Privacy, Online Publicity (the second in a series of reports from the survey) explores the Janus-faced nature of online privacy by examining the strategies that young people use to control how they are represented online and the ways in which they seek to assert some sort of control over their personal information.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Life Online

Date:

22 Jan 2014

This report is drawn from a national survey of Canadian youth conducted by MediaSmarts in 2013. The classroom-based survey of 5,436 students in Grades 4 through 11, in every province and territory, examined the role of networked technologies in young people’s lives. Life Online (the first in series of reports from the survey) focuses on what youth are doing online, what sites they’re going to, their attitudes towards online safety, household rules on Internet use, and unplugging from digital technologies.

Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase III: Talking to Youth and Parents about Life Online

Date:

29 May 2012

This exploratory study examines the attitudes and experiences of children, youth and parents relating to networked technologies. Results indicate a generation of adults who have become hyper-vigilant about young people’s online lives and a generation of youth who are navigating “life in the fishbowl” when it comes to their digital experiences. Findings will set the stage for a national survey of students in 2013.

Young Canadians in a Wired World – Phase III Teachers' Perspectives

Date:

15 Feb 2012

This study explores the attitudes of Canadian teachers regarding networked technologies in classrooms: do they enhance learning and what is the impact on the teacher-student relationship? Results indicate that there are significant challenges to overcome in integrating technology in meaningful ways that enrich the learning process. A number of best practices are also identified.